The Hormuz Strait Escort Coalition failed to materialize, and Germany and France have already started quarreling.
As expected, it was never wise to count on Europe achieving anything meaningful.
Not long ago, The Wall Street Journal revealed that Europe had planned to lead a coalition of over 40 countries to form an escort force in the Hormuz Strait. However, before the coalition's framework could even be established, internal disputes erupted among European nations.
The root of the conflict lies between Germany and France.
In short, France wants to take the role of "leading nation" in the alliance and opposes any involvement by the United States. In contrast, Germany believes that "the participation of U.S. military forces in the initiative should be discussed"—German Chancellor Merkel stated in a press conference that there were "very strong reasons" supporting U.S. involvement.
Yet France remains firmly opposed to forming an alliance with the United States. A French official told the website Politico that France would not accept such a coalition and believed "Germany should not do so either."
Of course, the situation is even more awkward for Germany. Merkel may have thought she was strengthening the transatlantic alliance, but in reality, Trump showed no appreciation—on the 17th, Trump once again mocked NATO as a "paper tiger" on social media, claiming it is "completely useless" when needed.
Even if Germany and France had avoided their dispute, it’s likely the European escort coalition would still fail to come together—since the end of the Cold War, Europe’s military defense has heavily relied on the United States. During previous discussions about stationing troops in Ukraine, European officials openly admitted that without American support, Europe could not possibly maintain a military presence in Ukraine.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1862805167836233/
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